Dan Campbell, Lions urged to extend two fan favorites before it's too late

The Detroit Lions have quite a few fan favorites on the team's roster. That's a great thing for Detroit. It's always more fun to watch your favorite team when there are familiar players on the field who each have their own, fun personalities.

One of those fan favorites is tight end Sam LaPorta. This is a guy who actually got blessed by the pope with his wife. Not every NFL team can say they have a player on their team who's been blessed by the pope.

Another is safety Brian Branch. He hasn't been blessed by the pope, but he's still a favorite.

Lions urged to try to work out a deal with two beloved players

In a piece for ESPN, Aaron Schatz urges Dan Campbell, Brad Holmes and the Lions to somehow, someway work out deals with  LaPorta and Branch. It won't be easy. But it can be done.

Since the Lions drafted so many stars with the team's 2023 draft class, they're all up for contract extensions at the same time. That makes for a sticky situation.

"The bill is coming due for the Lions' fantastic 2023 draft class," Schatz notes in the piece. "They already extended linebacker Jack Campbell, and they get an extra year to decide on running back Jahmyr Gibbs thanks to the fifth-year option granted to first-round picks. However, both Branch and LaPorta are set to become free agents at the end of this season."

He adds: "The worst scenario is probably getting to the 2027 offseason and having to decide how to sign both Branch and LaPorta while also extending Gibbs."

Both Branch and LaPorta have become integral parts of the Lions' roster. It would hurt to lose either. The organization will hope that Holmes can work out the financing to keep both in Detroit.